Soulless Whispers
by when the lights go out
Summary: Nikki Dalton wishes for nothing but the life of the high-end socialites of New York. After 15 years of living in the darker parts of the city, she makes her way into the lives of New Yorks' finest, stealing hearts-and lives-along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**an:** This was inspired by me re-reading my story, "Drop Dead" and reading _Privilege _by Kate Brian. I wanted to be different, so I'm using a character who isn't used all that often, and when she is, she's usually portrayed as a clingy witch-with-a-b. Thanks **mayplexsyrup** and **all the lost souls **for reading this over and helping me out. (:

**summary: **Fifteen-year-old Nikki Dalton wishes for nothing _but_ the life of the high-end socialites of New York. After fifteen years of living in the darker parts of the city, she makes her way into the lives of New Yorks' finest, stealing hearts—and lives—along the way.

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**Home Sweet Home

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**

A scream shattered the nights' pristine silence, soon followed by a loud _whack_ and a soft grunt. A girl with dark long hair and bright green eyes was being dragged across the cold marble tiles of highest floor of the Carlyle Penthouse on the Upper West Side of New York City. Another girl of similar beauty and stature heaved the body of the other into a black plastic bag and washed her hands, tied up her hair, and threw on her hood. She then took the dead girls' purse and brought out a set of keys, a driver's license, and a credit card. She took the victim's car, threw the body into the Hudson River, made her way back to the victim's house and cleaned up all evidence of anything that occurred there that night. She typed a quick note on a gleaming white laptop and printed it for the maids to find so that they would not be worried by their mistresses' absence.

_I'll be back in two days. I still have not recovered from the death of my parents and I want some time alone. Do not text or call me, because I will not be answering my phone during this period.  
_

_Love, _

_Coral Carlyle-McAdams

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_

**_Twelve Hours Earlier_**

The hottest day of the summer was upon her and the only things that Nikki Dalton wanted to do was either jump into the nearest body of water or purchase a new air conditioner. Nikki could not afford to pay for air conditioning, let alone buy a new one, and, since she couldn't afford to go to waste her precious money on going to the swimming pool, she was definitely not going to be taking a swim in the Hudson. She picked up the latest issue of Teen Vogue to fan herself and caught a glimpse of an airbrushed photograph of a beautiful brunette with bright red lips and stunning amber-colored eyes.

_Why can't I be like her? I bet she can afford air conditioning and a decent pool!_ Nikki thought bitterly to herself as she felt a warm breeze ripple across her flawed, tanned skin. Nikki sprawled herself across the blue blanket that she had lain across the soft green grass in her small backyard. _I wish I was rich. I'm so sick of living here._ She picked her copy of _Teen Vogue_ and flipped past all of the perfume samples and Gucci ads to the beauty tips. She hungrily devoured all of the tips and thought about how they would look on her. She quickly flipped through the other pages until she came to an article about the beautiful girl on the cover. Interested, Nikki read the headline.

_Talented and beautiful actress Massie Block gives us a sneak-peak at what's coming up in her future and tells us the keys to success. Turn to page 127 to find out more!_

Nikki rolled her army-green eyes and snorted. _She's only fifteen. She hasn't even done anything in her life!_

She continued to flip through the glossy pages until she heard the screen door to her house crack open. She quickly turned around to see her ten-year-old cousin, Vincent, whose dark floppy hair fell into his muddy green eyes.

"What do you want?" Nikki snapped. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now.

"Aunt Dalton wants us to have lunch with her today," he answered simply, causing Nikki to roll her eyes.

"Can't you see that I'm busy?" Nikki asked, shaking her magazine in his face.

Vincent raised a dark brow and shrugged. "Don't make me get your dad."

Nikki shuddered. She hardly ever called him her "dad."

"Alright, alright," she said as she stood from her comfortable place on the grass, "tell them that I'll be in a second."

Vincent nodded and went back inside as Nikki turned and surveyed her cozy spot under the sun, her magazine glowing under the midday sun. _Someday, I'll get to be like Massie Block; I'll get to be the best of the best and do whatever the Hell I want._

There was an uncomfortable silence at the Dalton family table that afternoon. Nikki was so unused to having any peace and quiet in her life. It disturbed her that her mother, with long black hair and deep brown eyes, kept throwing nervous glances at her father, whose face was locked in a stoic expression.

"Pass the lemonade, please," said Vincent, which, for some peculiar reason, caused Nikki to start talking.

"Mom, why do you look so nervous?" Nikki asked. Her mother looked at her with a I-have-something-to-tell-you-and-you-won't-like-it expression on her face. She looked at Nikki's father, Christopher Dalton, and his dull green eyes.

"Tell her, dear," she commanded. Nikki's father looked at her.

"Nikki, we have something to tell you," he said, causing Nikki to feel both excitement and fear. _Maybe I'm having a little sister, she thought. Maybe Aunt Sofie is feeling better enough to have Vincent back for the rest of the summer! Oh! I hope he tells me that we won the lottery!_

"Cool. What?" she inquired.

Her mother and father looked at each other again before her father spoke, "We're moving—out of New York."

Nikki's insides felt like lead.

"What?" she asked angrily.

"We're moving," her mother told her. "It's just too expensive to live here any longer, sweetie, and I know that you have lots of friends here, but we really can't afford to stay!"

"Where would we even go?" Nikki shouted, her mane of dark hair falling around her shoulders.

"We're going to Wisconsin to go live on my brother's farm. We're hoping to help him make some more money, and we'll only have to pay half of what we pay here! Isn't that great?" her mother smiled with excitement, gripping her husband's arm tightly.

Nikki scrunched up her face in anger and glared at her parents.

"Mom! We're city folk! We don't know how to farm!" she cried out.

"There's always time to learn!" her mom chirped happily.

"So you're asking me to leave all of my friends and this beautiful city to go live in a run-down barn with your crazy brother who always smells like he has never even heard of a shower before?" Nikki shouted as her body trembled with anger."You're telling me to-"

"That's enough, Nikola!" her father said in his deep voice. "We're moving and if you want to stay, then you had better find a way to provide for yourself. We'd be better off without you running your mouth all of the time anyway."

A wave of fury washed over Nikki as she heard her fathers' words. She knew that if she didn't leave now, she would get into a shouting match with her parents in front of her cousin and she would never live this down. Taking all of the dignity she had left, Nikki turned on her heel and stormed out of her house, bringing her canary yellow faux-Prada messenger bag with her.

Somehow, Nikki knew that she wasn't going to be coming home that night-if you could even call it a home.

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**What'd you think? Constructive criticism is a treasure.**


	2. Chapter 2

**an**: we had a blizzard today, so, needless to say, school was cancelled for me and I decided to write this for you. Thank you for all of the amazing reviews! :D

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Nikki Dalton, in her tight whiteskinnyjeans, faded blue _Forever__21 _t-shirt, and fake Prada messenger bag with all of the money she had, made her way down Fifth Avenue and its' beautiful boutiques.

_It __would __be _so _amazing __if __I __could __buy__something __from __here,_Nikki thought to herself, knowing that her parents would never let her go inside one of the stores because they didn't want Nikki getting any ideas. They would rather have her save all of her money instead of going wild and buying things that she could barely pay for. She glanced around her and, despite the sea of bodies that flowed all around her, she knew that her parents were nowhere near where she was; she knew that they wouldn't be able to stop her from going into one of them shops.

A smile lit up Nikki's face as the thought of her trying on one of the beautiful and rich articles of clothing came to mind. Without another glance, Nikki took a step into the wonderful world of the rich, also called _Prada_, and out of her own.

Coral Carlyle-McAdams was one of the reigning-queens-to-be on the Upper West Side of New York City. She was the daughter of Katerina McAdams and Edgar Carlyle: two people whose families' fortunes were tied to that of _Old_ New York, or the deep-pocketed folk. She was a girl who almost everyone looked up to, and someone that everyone hated and wanted to be. But today, _nobody_wanted to be little miss Coral.

_Four Hours Previous_

"Are you ready for our party tonight?" Kory Gedman, a girl with flowing blond locks and a cute round face, asked Coral in a nasally voice. Kory Gedman was one of the heirs to one of the richest families of Manhattan, and Coral's best friend.

"Yes!" Coral replied. "Are you?"

"Totally!" Kory told her as she pursed her large red lips. "I just hope that Bree Kennedy doesn't show up."

"Ew! I _know_!" Coral shouted. "I wish I knew before someone invited her to come!"

"Can you believe her?"

"What?" Coral asked. "The fact that she's-"

"Who's what?" Regina Vazquez, the Carlyle-McAdams Manor maid, spoke in a thick Spanish accent, tying her stark black hair into a tight bun and glaring at Coral and Kory with hard brown eyes.

"You know Brianna Kennedy? Well, she's a full year younger than I am, and she's not a virgin anymore." Coral rolled her glittering green eyes at her. "Can you believe that, Gina? Girls these days are becoming so...immodest. They don't respect themselves at all!"

Regina grunted and walked into the pale pink room, telephone in hand. "You have a phone call."

"Who still calls the house?" Kory, who basically lived there, asked.

"No one important," Coral answered. "Just hang up and tell them that Father will call them back later."

Regina's face showed a small frown and her eyes began to water.

Regina glanced over Coral with a saddened look playing in her dark, muddy eyes knowing that the girl that she had taken care of for the entire length of the young girl's life was about to become more saddened than she thought she could ever be. "It is very important, Coral," the old woman said gravely.

"Fine," Coral whined as she took the phone from Regina's hand. "Hello?"

Regina stood closer to Coral and Kory leaned closer to the phone, wanting to hear what was so important.

"Coral Carlyle-McAdams?" a deep, manly voice asked on the other line.

"Yes. Who's this?" she inquired.

"I am your uncle, Tiberius, and I am sorry that we have to meet under these…absolutely _dreadful_ circumstances," the man answered dramatically.

"What do you mean?" Coral asked. She did not understand why her uncle was being so dramatic—heck, she barely remembered _having_ an uncle, but she knew that her father had talked about a "Tiberius" every once in a while. She had never met any other members of her family, other than her cousins that lived in France. All of her family was important business people who never had any time for visiting each other. She had never met Tiberius, let alone spoken to him, so why call her now?

The man on the other end of the phone sighed deeply. "Your mother and father…I will be sending someone down to pick you up later this evening. Your parents may reside in New York City, but they would prefer to be buried near the family plot here in Westchester."

"Wait, what?" Coral asked loudly; she had no idea what this man was talking about. Her parents weren't dead; she had seen them, _spoken_ with them, just that morning! "What are you talking about?"

"What is it?" Kory inquired curiously; the look on her best friend's face—the look of sheer terror and utter disbelief—was something that Kory had never seen before and it was startling her in ways that she would rather not feel.

"Nothing," Coral replied quickly. She didn't believe this strange man who telephoned her unexpectedly. Kory looked disheartened, but that didn't keep her from leaning her ear closer to the telephone (despite the fact that she could barely hear a thing the person on the other line of the phone was saying).

"Coral," her uncle said softly, "I'm afraid that there are many things we must discuss when my assistant arrives to come and get you."

"Excuse me? Won't you tell me what he heck is going on here?" Coral nearly shouted. "Are you suggesting that my parents…that they didn't—"

"I'm _telling_ you that your parents have perished in a boating accident," her uncle replied bluntly. He didn't mean to sound unsympathetic, but there didn't seem to be any other way to get it into Coral's head that her parents were, well, _dead_. His words were answered with silence. "Coral?" he said.

"What?" she asked, her voice sarcastic. "You're joking, right?"

"I am afraid that I am completely serious about this," he answered.

"But how? I just saw them! Just four hours ago!" she shouted, feeling Regina's arms wrap around her tiny body and being held tightly against the old woman's chest. Kory was pulling herself away from Coral. She hadn't heard what the other person was saying, but she could tell the nature of the conversation from the way Coral was acting. "I don't believe you," Coral retorted.

Tiberius sighed deeply. "I understand that this is hard on you, Coral, but this is the truth. My assistant will be there within a few hours."

_Within __a __few __hours_.

Everything went black.

* * *

Nikki Dalton strutted on the streets of Fifth Avenue like she owned it, showing off her new thin, yellow, Prada dress, hiding her other clothes in her bag and the small bruises that were all over her ribs. The jacket was one of the only things that she could afford, and it was by far the most fashionable. After spending her entire life wearing but her mother's old clothes from the eighties and cheap Goodwill clothes, Nikki was proud to be sporting a designer dress. As she was walking down the street, she couldn't help but admire the trio of girls who were making their way out of Bergdorfs. Their hair seemed to cascade down their backs like waterfalls, and their eyes seemed to shimmer in the bright, sunlight. Nikki was tired of having to live in an old, drab, and run-down house while being raised by her abusive father, and she was extremely envious of the girls who were walking in front of her. _I __bet __that __they __have __a __better __father __than __I __do_, she thought bitterly to herself.

They walked past a boy with stunning light brown eyes and waved, though they didn't bother to stop for a quick chit-chat. He smiled back at them and glanced in her direction and smiled at her as well. She had no recollection of meeting this boy before, but he walked over to her like they were friends of sorts, and that sort of scared her.

"Hey!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I heard you're having a party tonight!"

"W-what?" Nikki asked, confused. She didn't even know who the boy was and she certainly wasn't throwing a party, especially at _her_ house, so what was this boy rambling on about?

The boy chuckled to himself lightly. "I haven't been away _that_ long, have I?"

"Do I know you?" Nikki asked, arching a perfectly plucked brow (she'd done it herself and she was _quite_proud). She didn't even know why this utterly handsome boy was speaking to her. Clearly he was some rich blue blood who shouldn't even being associating with her. She could tell by the way he walked like he owned the place—which he probably did—and his clothes looked like they cost more than her entire house!

"Derrick Harrington ring a bell?" he smiled warmly down at her. Nikki's small red lips formed a perfect "o" shape and she silently cursed herself. She knew exactly who this boy was, and she knew that he was completely out of her league. Upon seeing her surprised expression, Derrick said, "C'mon, Coral, you've got to remember me! I've only been gone for five measly little years!"

_Coral?_ Nikki thought to herself. She didn't—_oh._She knew precisely who mister Derrick Harrington thought she was; he thought she was Miss Coral Carlyle-McAdams, one of the richest girls in the state of New York! Another young girl in the young socialite society.

"I'm not—"

"Hey, I've got to go, okay? But I heard it's a masquerade party. I'll be over with Cam and the boys around seven or eight-ish, whenever Cam decides to stop being so heart-broken over Kory Gedman!"

"But—"

"See you then, Coral," Derrick said as he quickly leaned down and kissed her cheek and melting her insides. She sighed dreamily as Derrick walked away from her; she could definitely do with another kiss from _him_.

Tonight, Nikki Dalton was going to be attending a party of one of the richest and most envied girls in the Upper West Side's Edgefield High.

**I don't feel like I got enough of Nikki's background in there, so maybe I'll put some more information on the next chapter. Thanks so much for all of the reviews that you guys have given me. You guys are great!**

**Concrit is a treasure.**


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